Sefton council agrees 2.8% tax rise

Mar 5 2010 by John Siddle, Liverpool Daily Post

The budget allowed for an additional £6.6m to provide services for vulnerable adults and children, as well as an extra £900,000 to repair damage to roads following two successive bad winters.

Labour councillors voted against the proposals after their amendment to stop the council increasing charges to its GP referral scheme, used predominantly by Bootle residents, was rejected.

The party also called for the council to reconsider increasing the cost of its meals-on-wheels service.

The amendment sparked a row between the parties, with Labour accusing Lib-Dem and Conservative councillors of being “Southport-centric” – and not acting in the interests of the whole borough.

Tory group leader Cllr Paula Parry said the council agreed a “robust budget”.

She said: “We could have come in at 0% this year, but we must be mindful of an ever-increasing demand for services, especially for the elderly and children in care.”